Published: The Chester County Hospital Foundation Donor Report FY2017
Charles and Donna Carson have strong roots in Pennsylvania. The couple met while attending Pennsylvania State University and eventually moved to Pittsburgh where they raised a family and Charles worked as an engineer in the steel industry. Once their children were grown, the Carsons moved to West Chester to be closer to Donna's family.
Grateful for the care family members have received at Chester County Hospital on several occasions, Charles and Donna were looking for an impactful way to support health care in their community.
"Our strategy for charitable giving emphasizes gifts for specific needs in the local community that are well-defined with real short- and long-term benefits. Chester County Hospital attracted us, as several members of our family received excellent care there, the alliance with Penn Medicine promised a strong future, and the expansion program had specific needs. A timely meeting with members of The Chester County Hospital Foundation helped us identify a specific opportunity within the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
The NICU had an urgent need for two Giraffe OmniBeds, used for the management of the frailest newborns, as the hospital expanded its role as a regional neonatal intensive care center. Although our children and grandchildren never needed this level of care, one walk through the NICU would convince anyone of its value. One nurse commented that ‘a giraffe bed really is magical’ and that description helped us understand the type of impact that a gift like this could have. It is so important for babies to be with their families here, near where they live, instead of having to travel ‘into the city’ where the logistics can be overwhelming for a family to navigate.
We chose to structure our gift through a direct transfer from an existing retirement account, which was simple, tax efficient, and met the requirement for the annual minimum distribution from the account. It was an easy process to manage—we consulted our financial advisor and the funds were transferred from the manager of the IRA directly to The Chester County Hospital Foundation, requiring no middle man."
Chester County Hospital is grateful for the Carson’s generosity and support which will benefit the health and well-being of the community and our youngest patients and their families.